Swallow Shadow

Chan + Hori Contemporary is pleased to present ‘Swalllow Shadow’ an exhibition of new works by Singapore based artist Ruben Pang. ‘Swallow Shadow’ will be opening 1st December 2017 in a pop-up space at Gillman Barracks. On view through 17 December 2017.

Press Release

Ruben Pang returned recently from a trip to Los Angeles, California, running the gamut, from fuelling the modern mythology and legend of Los Angeles to quieting in the rocks, cactus and blue sky of the Mojave Desert. Various encounters, including those with subaltern desert communes, decrepit hotels and exposure to colourful and contrasting characters from the city and suburbs propels the thinking behind his new works.

“…The act of painting has a profound effect on my sense of well-being and internal balance. The more I paint, the more it becomes symbiotic. Like a healthy relationship, it evolves over time and its rhythm and pace cannot be forced—it must be tangoed with. In this body of work, you’ll see a variety of surface treatments, mediums (oils, acrylic, venice turpentine, boiled linseed oil, alkyd, pure pigments, synthetic varnish) and substrates (aluminum, dibond [aluminum composite panel], wood, canvas).

Inversely, the symbolism within the paintings have been consistent, and I find parallels in the humanist and existential contemplation of Erich Fromm's Art of Loving and Fear of Freedom and Carl Jung's Symbols of Transformation. These paintings contain figures arriving at or departing from dimensional barriers: (Between Opposing Truths, Forced Exposure, Power from Power, Salad for an Eye), chasing or being watched over by planets or stars: (The Art of Loving Flies, Parent Cloud) or becoming weather phenomena/part of the background (Maestrale), the cloud of flesh (Type O Civilization), electricity/the flash, plasma, semi permeable membranes (There Are No Misunderstandings in Nature) and conversations through touch and physical movement (From My Milk White Veins, Social Snipers). I seek a consolidation of potential, a harnessing of latent energy and believe that creation is a self-rejuvenating process. I hope that through the conglomeration of techniques and semi-transparent layers, to come closer to understanding the nature of my own mind…”